Bernie Ecclestone chaired a meeting of F1 team bosses today and discussed ways of improving the show, and one of the ideas mooted was success ballast – as used in the DTM and many other touring car and GT championships.

In the DTM all examples of the winning marque carry extra weight at the next race, but a more sophisticated driver specific version was discussed, with for example 20kgs for the winner, 18kgs for second, and so on.

Apparently the idea was well received by team bosses as a way of equalising the field – quite what race fans will make of it, coming after double points for the final round, remains to be seen…

Meanwhile Ecclestone also made it cleear that he is no fan of cost control measures, and suggested that testing be unrestricted in the future – something that could lead to massive budget increases.

Because in sports-cars it is acknowledged that different manufacturers will be running far different engine sizes / topologies, etc. and weight is one parameter to offset the performance potential of, say a 4.0L V8 compared with a 3.0L V-6 during homologation. So, it’s part of the technical regulations. I’m not crazy about them adjusting it during the season, but there it can at least be argued that you are balancing performance *potential* of the manufacturers’ chosen toplogies.

F1 has always been about a formula where there’s a single set of technical regulations and that’s it. And particularly now that an F1 team isn’t even allowed to choose their crank C/L or bore spacing, it’s an absurdity to make a regulation that some cars should have a higher minimum weight than others.

This is beyond ridiculous. I love the sport but my patience is starting to be tested. How many more crazy ideas will they introduce? Will they bring in changeable paint so that it reflects the driver mood?

If they want a real show and terminate F1’s traditions, let’s eliminate qualifying and make the starting grid reversing the order of the driver’s championship. Mercedes can outdo every single car out there, starting from the back.

I have a better idea: just give everyone a “first place” like they do in grade school “competitions”. Beginning to think the powers that be are going innovate the pinnacle of Motorsport into just another racing series.

DRS – I’m ok with that. It does help with certain tracks and it’s still technical.
Double Points – ok, no issues, everyone knows the rules and can plan etc
Sound – cool with that, appreciate the variations
Success Ballast – It’s not April 1st is it? I’ll be an ex-F1 fan should that ever happen. Simple as that.

I don’t mind the idea but I also like BTCC so have seen it for many years. Speaking of BTCC and seeing good runs from the back lately, a split race with top ten reversed for second leg would be ineteresting. But I do agree that it would then be more like another race series.

As for the moaning, what about a well thought out suggestion as to what would make it a spectacle? Without mentioning engines etc because F1 is pioneering a massive change at the moment.

I’d like to see dynamic ride height, adjustable aero, active suspension etc etc all back then see what the teams can do!!

i think what they are all forgetting is that there is NOTHING wrong with the on track action. nothing atall. The reason why people are turning away in droves on TV and at tracks all over the world are because of greedy swines like Bernie who charge circuits far far too much to hold a race so they have to put their prices up to stupid levels that only very rich family’s can afford, plus he wants more and more money from TV companies so the free to air broadcasters always loose out in favour of the pay per view companies like BSkyB in UK.

Get me in on that panel of idiots and i’ll tell Bernie to stop being soooo greedy. make circuits atleast half ticket prices, no ticket should cost more than 100 euro’s. plus stop squeezing F1 onto pay TV all over the world. Sure SkyF1 do a slap up job but again, fewer and fewer people can afford the £45 a month for it. As for the on track spectacle…. Hungarian GP only PROVES my point that the racing does NOT need improving. leave it well alone! for 5 minutes atleast.

It’s *ALL* about the money. The corporate world is based upon a fundamentally flawed idea – that whatever it is that you are doing can go on forever; that it can continue to grow forever. I suspect that even a third-grade kid can point out the flaw in this but the corporate world operates on that flawed concept and goes into panic – with a hefty ration of denial – when confronted with reality.

Dear Bernie – there are only so many humans on the planet who will EVER care about Formula One no matter WHAT you do to “improve the show.”

To be fair… we all like to use Bernie as the punching bag but don’t forget that he has now nurtured multiple generations of greedy bastards who, in turn, are now in positions of influence. Bernie (the “great cash machine”) has bought the “loyalty” of everyone in the paddock with his bales of money. So when “Godfather” asks for ideas for improving the show, all those folks riding the gravy train respond – whether they have ever had a good idea in their lives or not (much less now.) Hmm, maybe all of these boneheaded ideas are actually Bernie’s ideas but he’s learned not to attach his name to them and allow his “gravy train riders” to earn their keep by taking the heat.

My own sense of this is that Bernie wants to try and learn from the cash-cow nature of NASCAR. This can be seen in his recent yammering about getting rid of the small teams and making up the difference by allowing three-car teams fielded by those who have what amounts to unlimited bank accounts (a term that must STILL make Bernie “tingle”.) If he can take the cash cow of F1 and integrate the pseudo-racing “show” concept of NASCAR, then maybe, just maybe, he can up the cash flow by another XXX percent.

Or maybe all the “panic” stems from the desire to take F1 public but the dropping viewership figures are making that ever harder to do.

You’re gonna love this one. Just make the cockpits standard; with a seat insert so any driver can fit into any car. At race half, the entire field trades cars in reverse order of what he was previously driving. At the beginning of each race, drivers have to draw straws to determine which car each will be driving for each qualifying heat. Three heats, best average of times determines starting position. Oh yeah, and every ten laps the driver has to stop, get out, run around his car, and get back in again, while the car rolls downhill in neutral.
Now you might think I’m nuts, but this makes about as much sense as Bernie’s suggestions of late.